Man in custody after Towson barricade

Jon Meoli and Jessica Anderson, Baltimore Sun Media Group

A man is in custody after he barricaded himself inside a Hampton home for nearly seven hours Wednesday, Baltimore County police said.

Police said there were no injuries in the event, which followed a report of gunshots at the home. Residents near the Towson home Wednesday morning were asked to stay inside, and road closures in effect caused traffic delays in the area.

The suspect was identified as a 35-year-old male, who was transported to an area hospital. Police will not release his identity until he is charged.

Police were called around 9:47 a.m. to the 1100 block of Gypsy Lane, off Hampton Lane, for a report of a domestic disturbance, according to a department release. A woman said a relative "was destroying things and threatening her," and she heard a gunshot, the release said.

The caller and another adult left the home when police arrived. The suspect "fired several shots from inside the home out the back of the house," police said in the release.

Police set up a staging area at the nearby St. Thomas Episcopal Church on Providence Road and established a perimeter around the home. Tactical and hostage negotiation units were called to the scene.

Just after 12:30 p.m., a crew dressed in SWAT gear from the Harford County sheriff's office arrived at the staging area.

Harford County and Anne Arundel County provided support to the Baltimore County police.

Nearby, Notre Dame Preparatory School was placed on lockdown around 10 a.m., said Al Bianco, the school's assistant principal.

"We have accounted for everybody, and we're waiting for the all-clear from police," Bianco said before the suspect was apprehended.

Davenport Preschool, which is on Cheverly Road, on the opposite side of Providence Road from Notre Dame Prep, also secured its building and monitored the situation, school director Liz Harlan said.

Baltimore County Public Schools spokesman Mychael Dickerson said that no schools were locked down Wednesday and that all schools were dismissed at the regular time.